I have had a weight issue since puberty (around 17yrs of age) before that I was a string bean like my Dad. I've always stayed around 150lbs. till the last few years I have gotten as heavy as 220lbs. which is really bad for my 5'2 frame. I did manage to lose 30lbs 2 yrs. ago but have slowly been putting it back on. I'm also having some "women" health issues that I think has a lot to due with my weight right now. ...

My name is Annie I'm 30 yrs old I live in Wichita, KS.

I have had a weight issue since puberty (around 17yrs of age) before that I was a string bean like my Dad. I've always stayed around 150lbs. till the last few years I have gotten as heavy as 220lbs. which is really bad for my 5'2 frame. I did manage to lose 30lbs 2 yrs. ago but have slowly been putting it back on. I'm also having some "women" health issues that I think has a lot to due with my weight right now. Which in turn has made it very hard to have a baby.

I'm tired of being me, I want to be healthy, I want to be happy and I want to be a Mom someday soon. So I'm here to try and make a change.

Welcome to SparkPeople Annie. I am so glad that you found us. There is a lot of information here and the best tools to help you reach your goals.

I have been on SparkPeople since April 2009 and I have lost over 20 pounds and I have kept it off with the help of this website! I track my food every day (good and bad) and I track my exercise. You can check out my SparkPage and see my fitness and food tracking. I put it all out there for everyone to see – the good, the bad and the ugly. It helps keep me honest! Are there days when I eat stuff that I know I shouldn’t – of course. This is a life long journey, one with many paths to take. I just have to keep making the right choices and when I don’t, I get back on the right path and don’t look back.

The encouragement and motivation I get from my Spark friends is amazing. They are always there to help me through tough times and bring a smile to my face. I have found that if I post something that is bothering me, within an hour someone will respond back and make sure everything is alright and offer encouragement.

One of the best things that you can do for yourself is to find a few good teams that you will check in with every day. When you are looking at teams that you might be interested in, check how old the posts are. If you find that no one has posted to it for a few weeks then I would suggest you keep looking. You need daily support and interaction with other team members. I invite you to check out Spin Me A Yarn and/or Australian Cattle Dog Lovers teams, which I am the team leader of. See if it is something that interests you. I try to keep it fun and interesting on both teams.

Being new, I would suggest that you use Your Spark Points (click on View SparkPoints) as a map to the site. It is a good way to see what is new and a great tool for any situation.